Link Love (03/02/2013)

Thought-provoking

“The meat-producing system Fairlie advocates differs sharply from the one now practised in the rich world: low energy, low waste, just, diverse, small-scale. But if we were to adopt it, we could eat meat, milk and eggs (albeit much less) with a clean conscience. By keeping out of the debate over how livestock should be kept, those of us who have advocated veganism have allowed the champions of cruel, destructive, famine-inducing meat farming to prevail. It’s time we got stuck in.” I was wrong about veganism. Let them eat meat (but arm it right) – George Monbiot – The Guardian

“Now, however, there is no such affection for whistleblowers. The government and media vilify those who dare to speak the truth. Somehow, pointing out wrongdoing has become far more of a crime than the wrongdoing itself.” When Did Whistleblowers Become the Bad Guys? – Care2

“If you don’t have a happy life already, quitting your job is not going to make a damn bit of difference. If you are angry and bitter and resentful of everything that you do, quitting your job will make you angry and bitter and resentful without a paycheck or benefits.” Why quitting your day job is NOT the answer – Tiffany Han

“In a world as fast-changing and full of information as our own, every one of us — from schoolchildren to college students to working adults — needs to know how to learn well. Yet evidence suggests that most of us don’t use the learning techniques that science has proved most effective. Worse, research finds that learning strategies we do commonly employ, like rereading and highlighting, are among the least effective.” Best, Worst Learning Tips: Flash Cards Are Good, Highlighting Is Bad – TIME

Religion

“Why is it that it’s perfectly acceptable – commendable and encouraged even! – for Believers to proclaim their beliefs, to issue forth their faith, to quote bible verses and loudly thank Jesus for every little thing – in life, on Facebook, on blogs – their own and other people’s – at every turn, but if an atheist is open about his or her non-belief, they are admonished?” Non-Belief Is Not Inappropriate. Neither Is Talking About It – Life As I Know It

“Beyond all this, Dudley reveals that in the late 1960s and early 1970s leading evangelical theologians were still arguing (in leading evangelical publications, no less) that, based on what the Bible says, the fetus was not a person with a soul. In fact, in 1968 an evangelical gathering hosted by leading evangelical publication Christianity Today called for the legality of abortion and in 1971 the Southern Baptist Convention formally called for abortion laws to be loosened so as to allow for abortion in the case of rape, incest, fetal deformity, and emotional, mental, or physical duress of the mother.” Why You Need to Read Jonathan Dudley’s Broken Words – Love, Joy, Feminism

“If a woman voluntarily gets an abortion, it’s murder, the Catholic church says. Because a fetus is an unborn person. If a woman uses hormonal birth control that might endanger a zygote, it’s murder, the Catholic church says. Because a zygote is an unimplanted person. If a slack-ass obstetrician can’t answer his damn pages and a woman and two potentially viable fetuses die, it’s a crying shame, says Catholic Health Initiatives, but there’s not much that can be done about it because fetuses aren’t people.” When is a fetus-person not a fetus-person? When it’s a lawsuit. – Feministe

Equality

“Because, here’s another inflammatory statement: in the vast majority of posts I write about these topics, I do not rant. I spend days (sometimes weeks) doing research. I patiently scout archives, websites, offline sources to document every statement I make with a fact to back it up. To call these posts “rants” is an insult to my work. And moreover, it is testament to the privilege of those who would deem them as such. As if “rants” could not be powerful political statements. As if the stream of consciousness behind a rant could never hold us together in awareness, as if ranting could never be a political act by itself. As if we could ever remove the political action that is initiated through a shared rant. That moment when we stand together in awareness to feel, if only for a fleeting second, less lonely. As if that act initiated by a moment of anger could never be radical.” When anger is all I have and why anger is my feminist stand – Tiger Beatdown

““Imagine if it were your wife/daughter/mother.” Yes, this phrase is almost reflexively brought up when discussing rape, other forms of gendered violence, abortion–really, anything that affects primarily women. But try to picture a woman being call upon to do the inverse: “Imagine if it were your husband/son/father.” It rarely happens. The idea that a woman would need a reminder on how to empathize with someone–as well as way of mentally replacing the object of empathy with someone else who is more personally valued to them–seems slightly ludicrous. ” Gender and empathy: Men shouldn’t need to “imagine if it were your wife/daughter/mother” – Feministing

“Women of colour, who understand multiple oppressions firsthand, are organised and challenging oppressive systems head on, every day. The only ‘feminist’ option for our white sisters is to stand side by side with black feminist sisters in solidarity and activism, not contempt.” Racism within white feminist spaces – Black Feminists Manchester

“Truly, how can one accuse Burchill and Moore of privilege, just because they crossed the line to outright bigotry? Yes, yes, it’s hilarious to engage in gendered language to attack the transgender community, but in doing so, Burchill manages to take a swipe at cis women as well. If having your testicles removed makes one only fit to carp at others, what of those who never had them at all? Don’t get me wrong — I reject the idea that fortitude is found in gonads outright. I suspect Burchill claims to as well. But so keen is she on attacking the transgender community that she’s willing to attack herself.” You Can’t Advance Women’s Rights by Bashing Trans People – Care2

Health

“But what truly sent me over the skin-clearing edge was tossing all the harsh/gentle/foaming/non-foaming/astringent/non-comodegenic CRUD I’d been smearing on my face for years in hopes it would treat a symptom (acne) rather than addressing the root cause (hormonal and bodily imbalances – as I did in this post). Switching to the Oil Cleansing Method, along with using Jojoba and Coconut oils exclusively to moisturize, truly made my skin better and more clear than it’s ever been. And I no longer put ingredients I can’t pronounce on my skin every day.” Cleansing, redefined – Cave Girl Eats

Beauty & Body Image

“The blog post reminded me that in recent years, black folks have been our own worst enemy in perpetuating body image issues among black women and girls. In our efforts to defy white supremacy, we adopted an equally unattainable aesthetic ideal. Large breasts, tiny waists, and humongous behinds are the desired anatomy of a substantial segment of Black and brown people. Normal women with 9 to 5s aspire to the video girl dimensions we’ve deemed most attractive. Now those women are dying, and it’s time to rethink our preferences.” Beaudy and Butt Shots: Black Women Battle for Body Acceptance – For Harriet

“Natural beauty is a fraud, and a double-sided one at that. Women perpetrate the myth as much as they’re punished by it. When I look rosy cheeked and dewy, I’m probably wearing blush, highlighter on my cheekbones, concealer under my eyes, and mascara on my lashes. Plus, I’ve got the benefit of my years of time spent on my skin. Effortless, natural looking beauty requires a good deal of effort, skill, and forethought.” Are Natural Beauty Tips, Natural Beauty Products Better for Women? – Blisstree

“I spend my time in two alternating mental states: under-stimulated and overwhelmed. When I am under-stimulated, I am ready to take on the world. All of my passions suddenly seem conquerable all at the same time. I am ready to write novels, commit to hours of community service, lead committees and make way too many promises.
Then I become overwhelmed. The many commitments destroy my alone time, drain me mentally and can sometimes trigger my anxieties. All of this puts me in a negative and hopeless state that has me feeling discouraged and like I will never be able to do everything I was meant to for this world.” Passion – INFJ Anonymous

“Everybody talks about it. Nobody does it.If I’ve learned anything about the world by my age, it’s that most of the world, myself included, is composed of talkers, not doers.
There are very few exceptions to this rule. The good news is, you can be one if you want.
The ability to act is not something you’re born with. Change is a skill you can learn– as long as you have the guts to actually do it.”How to Change Your Life: An Epic, 5,000 Word Guide to Getting What You Want – In Over Your Head